In A Nutshell

  I needed an excuse to use my adorable new Bundtlet (even the word is cute!) pans and St. Patrick’s Day happened to be around the corner, so I combed the internet for something with an Irish twist that didn’t involve Bailey’s Irish Cream. Because I don’t like it. Yes, you read that right and I’m sorry for it....I want to like it but I find it sickeningly cloying and in desserts it gets lost.. However, I do love Irish whiskey so I adapted a Whiskey cake from NYT Cooking. Is it cocky to say that I made some significant improvements to the recipe? You can use any whiskey or bourbon you like (or even rum, for that matter); the recipe is designed for a large Bundt pan but if you use small cute ones like I did, shorten the baking time a bit. This cake is best made the day before you want to serve it. Cake: 1 cup vegetable or canola oil 2 cups flour 2 cups sugar 5 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted 1/4 cup instant espresso powder 2 T cocoa powder 1/2 cup Irish Whiskey  1/2 t kosher s...

  This originally comes from a longtime college friend and it has become a family stand-by over the years (thank you Laura C.- this dip has changed my life for the better!). My daughter discovered that if you pop it under the broiler quickly after it bakes, you get this beautiful cheesy top. This is totally an old-school dip- it's best served with sturdy, sensible Triscuits which can stand up to the fatty, creamy, decadent dip.  1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (you don't have to use anything fancy here) 1/2 cup mayo 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded* 1/4 t garlic salt 1/4 t garlic powder Mix everything together and bake at 350º for 30 minutes; pop under the broiler for a few seconds to get the brown bubbly top pictured above.  * As with any recipe, I think it will always taste best if you grate your own cheese (with the exception of the Parmesan); they put cellulose into those bags of pre-grated cheese to keep it from stick...

Most of my life I found the idea of eggnog to be disgusting until I tried real homemade eggnog. (Awkward sentence coming...) My daughter's friend Audrey's mom, Lee used to host this super fancy holiday dinner party every year- by far the fanciest sort of thing we had ever attended. She looked glamorous like a film star and the first thing she put in your hand upon entering was a glass of delicious, and as we subsequently found out, strong!!! eggnog. It's nothing like that stuff that comes out of a carton.   I now make it every year in homage to Lee; this year it took me two tries: the first was Scrambled Egg Nog which nobody likes. I, of course, am blameless in this debacle; Saveur said to whisk the custard until "very thick" which is not possible and ends in a combination of sorrow and scrambled eggs. Now I ignore that prompt and simply adhere to the time direction. I like to serve additional bourbon on the side because.... well, because I like bourbon. You can a...

I tore this recipe out of the Chicago Tribune (10 years ago, as my husband pointed out!); I'm sad that I went for 10 years without these tasty treats but happy that I hung on to the recipe all these years. I made a few changes from the original. I would add that if the corn is not super super fresh and sweet, blanch it for about a minute before using. 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels, divided 1 cup buttermilk 4 eggs, separated 2 T melted butter or bacon drippings 1 t salt 2 t baking powder 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal 1 3/4 cups flour 2 T sugar 8 slices bacon, chopped small and cooked to a crisp Puree 1/2  cup of corn along with the milk, melted butter and egg yolks in a blender until very smooth. In a large bowl, whisk flour, corn meal, baking powder and salt. Add the liquid ingredients from the blender to the dry ingredients and stir just to moisten. Fold in half  the bacon bits and remaining  1cup  of corn. Meanwhile, whip the egg whites and sugar until ...

As in the country of Georgia...Saveur magazine did a spread on the cuisine of Georgia, which all looked delicious, btw! I’m intrigued to try more of the recipes. The bread is supposed to have an egg on top but I’m not a fan of baked eggs so I left it off. If you want to add an egg, take out the bread at 14 minutes, crack the egg on top and bake an additional 4 minutes. 1 t instant yeast 1 T olive oil 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 t kosher salt 2 cups shredded Muenster cheese (I used Fontina- you can use any flavorful cheese) 1 cup crumbled feta cheese Combine yeast and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 1/2- 2/3 cup warm water along with the oil and mix with the dough hook until combined. Add the salt and knead on medium speed for about 4 or 5 minutes. Put the dough into a greased bowl and let rise until doubled and poofy. Meanwhile heat the oven to 500º (preferably with a pizza stone in there) for about an hour before baking. Divide the dough in half and roll ou...

This recipe comes from King Arthur Flour; it is absolutely the best rum cake I have ever had! I only changed it a bit by scattering one cup of chopped pecans on the bottom of the bundt pan. BTW, isn’t that shape awesome? I love my new Williams-Sonoma bundt pan!!! I don’t buy jewelry or purses; I buy bundt pans!  But back to the cake: strong, moist, delicious! I am going to try this with bourbon and walnuts next time. You will have the best success with this cake if you weigh the flour; if you don’t already have a kitchen scale with grams and ounces, I strongly urge you to get one. They are inexpensive and help a great deal with baked goods. Cake: 2 cups unbleached flour (I do use King Arthur) 8 1/2 ounces 1 1/2 cups sugar 3.4 oz box instant vanilla pudding 2 t baking powder  1 t salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup veg oil 1/2 cup milk, room temp 4 large eggs, room temp 1/2 cup rum 2 t vanilla 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans Syrup:...

This is like the crack cocaine of side dishes. Seriously addictive. I ate so much it put me in a carb coma but it was worth every bite. The recipe is originally from Ina via Food Network magazine but I changed it up a bit making Boursin cheese the star of this dish-- because I can never get enough Boursin cheese, adding bacon (because duh...) and simplifying it (namely by not using the dastardly food mill). 3 lbs potatoes, peeled and quartered 5 garlic cloves 1 1/2 containers Boursin chive and garlic cheese 4 T butter at room temp. 1 1/2 cups sour cream 1/2 cup half-and-half 6 slices of bacon, chopped, cooked and drained on paper towels 1/2 cup parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 375º. Place the potatoes and garlic in a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes; drain potatoes. While the potatoes are still hot, add 3-4 teaspoons salt and freshly ground pepper along with all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the parmesan cheese. Usin...

 This is a gateway food to things too decadent and heathenous to talk about on a mere suburban cooking blog. Eating the cheesy pizza tree should be considered engaging in risky behavior. 1 lb pizza dough, homemade preferably or store-bought mozzarella cheese cut into 32 little 1" cubes (or cheese sticks cut into cubes) 1/4 cup melted butter 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan 1 T chopped parsley 1 egg whisked with 1 T water Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 450º. Divide the dough into 32 pieces; wrap each piece around a cube of mozzarella and form into a tightly sealed ball. Place the balls seam side down in the shape of a x-mas tree or just a circle. Brush egg wash on and bake for 15-20 minutes. Brush the melted butter on the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and parsley. You can serve this with warm marinara on the side.

Keep the defibrillator nearby... Adapted from Rachel Ray magazine. 2 T butter 1 t onion powder 1/2 t garlic powder 1 cup dry white wine 3 cups heavy cream 1- 8 oz. container cheddar cheese spread (yeah... that stuff in a tub!) 8 oz. cream cheese 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp yellow cheddar 1 lb shells or elbow macaroni 1 cup panko plus 1 T butter chopped parsley for garnish if desired (I did not desire the extra work...) In a large saucepan, heat the butter along with the two powders; add the wine, bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes until some of the liquid evaporates. Add the broth and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the cream and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes; add all the cheeses and cook over low heat, whisking until smooth. While you are doing this cook the pasta following the instructions for al dente. At this point, I will tell you that the cheese sauce will be very thin-- add the pasta; if you are like me, you want to get this done a little ...

I only ever make this salad for the holidays (and only if my niece Abby is coming, who once as a child told me she loved the salad and is now under a lifetime obligation to continue loving it!). It's creamy and fattening and good and I can't get enough of it... it's very dangerous for the waistline! This should be made the day you are planning to serve it. 3-4 lbs green grapes 8 oz. cream cheese, well-softened 1/2 cup sugar 1 t vanilla 8 oz. sour cream Mix all the ingredients together until well-blended (except the grapes) in a large bowl and stir in the grapes. Top with: 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 cup toasted, chopped pecans

This takes me back to childhood when the sound of a pull-tab popping on a can of Snack Pac made my heart sing, and I risked injury to my tongue just to lick off any little bits of pudding sticking to the top of the can. Now they are made from plastic... where's the fun in that??? Adapted from Bon Appétit magazine. 1 cup sugar 2 T cornstarch 2 T unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder pinch of kosher salt 4 egg yolks 2 cups whole milk 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 t vanilla bean paste (much easier) 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted (I used a combination of dark and bittersweet from Trader Joe's) 1 T unsalted butter 1 t vanilla whipped cream and crushed pretzel thins (I just got to thinking that chocolate-covered pretzel thins or chocolate-covered potato chips from Trader Joe's might be divine) for topping In a heavy saucepan, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, salt and cocoa powder. In a medium bowl, whisk yolks, milk, cream and van...

The recipe for these rolls comes from a Serbian blog called foodforthought ; there are English translations but I hope to simplify the recipe for you. They are incredibly tasty and not difficult to make. I used ricotta cheese for the filling but you can also use crumbled feta if you want a stronger flavor. Since my son doesn't like cheese, I left half of them empty-- those soulless vessels were delicious as well. Have you ever noticed how every bread or roll recipe tells you to "let cool completely"? I really don't get that... why would you want to eat homemade rolls cold? My advice is eat them while they're warm... even if you have to burn your tongue- they're worth it! 3-4 cups all-purpose flour 2 t instant yeast 14 oz. milk, warmed 2 heaping tablespoons sour cream 2 T corn, canola or vegetable oil 2 egg yolks 1 t salt 1 stick of butter, room temperature ricotta or feta 1 egg white, for glaze In the bowl of a mixer, place 3 cups flour, the ...

These are to die for.... the frosting is so light (as in fluffy, not as in low in calories....) and delicious I could just shovel that in by the spoonful by itself! The recipe for the moist cake is from Ina Garten (the superhero of decadent and delicious food!) and I did not change anything except to make the batter into cupcakes rather than layer cakes. The recipe made more than 30 cupcakes! For the Cake : 1 3/4 cup flour 2 cups sugar 3/4 cup good cocoa powder (I like Valrhona) 2 t baking soda 1 t baking powder 1 t kosher salt 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup canola oil 2 eggs, room temp. 1 t vanilla 1 cup hot coffee Preheat oven to 350º and line muffin tins with paper. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. You can sift the cocoa powder if it is especially lumpy. In another bowl combine all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the coffee. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix on low just until combined; add the coffee slowly and stir with a wooden spoon unt...

These are moist and delicious- my dog Milo LOVES these too; last year he ate 12 pumpkin cupcakes off the counter-- paper and all; he's looking like he wants a repeat of that action! The recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit. I like to add chopped walnuts on top of the frosting as well. This makes about 18 cupcakes. 2 cups flour 3 t baking powder 1 t salt 1 t pumpkin pie spice 2 eggs 1 1/3 cups light brown sugar 1 cup canned pumpkin 2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil 2/3 cup sour cream 1 t vanilla 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 4 oz. unsalted butter (1 stick) 1/4 t vanilla 2 cups powdered sugar Preheat oven to 350º and line muffin cups. With the paddle attachment or a whisk, mix the eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin, oil, sour cream, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder and salt (you can mix these dry ingredients separately first if you choose) and mix just until combined. Bake for 23 minutes. Cream the butter and cream cheese; add the vanilla and p...

I kind of have a love/hate relationship with deviled eggs- every once in a blue moon I get a yen for them but I can only eat them if I make them myself. I don't know why but they sort of gross me out otherwise... it probably has something to do with my aversion towards mayo. I buy a really small jar just for the occasion and that way I know it hasn't been sitting around the fridge indefinitely or else I make my own aioli. At any rate, these were delicious. They are adapted from a segment in Fine Cooking on variations of deviled eggs. 4 peeled hard cooked eggs, cut in half lengthwise 1 heaping tablespoon of mayo (or up to 2 T if you must) 1/2 t Dijon mustard a dash of Tabasco salt and pepper 1 T finely chopped parsley 2 slices chopped, cooked bacon smoked paprika Mash the 4 yolks with the back of a fork; add the mayo, parsley and hot sauce and mash until smooth. Add the bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Fill the egg whites and sprinkle with paprika.

This is an unholy delight; I think you can never make enough of these. I use a cast iron round griddle type thing. It's about 14" or so in diameter (just guessing)- pretty big. 6 T unsalted butter, divided- melt 2 T first and brush griddle 4 large Idaho potatoes (around 3 lbs, give or take) kosher salt ground pepper Preheat oven to 425º. Brush the cast iron griddle with 2 T of the butter. Peel the potatoes and trim the ends off; cut potatoes into 1/8" slices (using a mandoline is easiest but alas, it can be done by hand!). Arrange the slices concentrically, overlapping them slightly. Brush the whole thing with the remaining 4 T melted butter (don't be tempted to skimp here on this part- after all, Julia Child lived well into her 90's and consumed astonishing amounts of butter and cream-- just have a glass of red wine alongside!). Sprinkle generously with salt (see previous parenthetical- same argument applies) and pepper and bake for about 1 hour, turnin...

This is without a doubt the best burger I have ever eaten (through no particular skill of my own, I might add). It is inspired by a recipe in a Rachel Ray magazine which is an adaptation of the Graze Burger from Graze in Madison, Wisconsin. You were supposed to ask your butcher to grind 1/2 lb of bacon for you (as if we all naturally have our own butchers) but when I asked them to do that at Whole Foods, they stubbornly refused, citing sanitary issues. I got around this issue by cutting up the bacon at home and chopping it very fine in the food processor. The burger is decadent and delicious beyond belief. 1 lb ground sirloin 1/2 lb ground bacon 1/2 lb ground ribeye steak (I got one smaller steak ground and it was closer to 3/4 lb) 2 large onions 4 slices white cheddar 4 slices yellow cheddar 4 eggs 4 pretzel buns (or brioche) Mix all the meats together with your hand to distribute evenly without overworking it. Form into 4 giant patties if you're feeling piggish (whic...

Clearly, forming a pretzel knot is not my strength but nonetheless, these were pure heaven. They taste like a certain mall pretzel but without the gross fake butter flavor. The recipe is adapted from foodnetwork.com. 1 cup milk scant 2 t instant yeast 3 T packed light brown sugar 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 T butter, diced plus about 4-6 T butter melted for brushing on the finished pretzels 1 t fine sea salt coarse salt or pretzel salt for sprinkling before baking 1/3 cup baking soda 3 cups warm water Mix the flour, salt, yeast and brown sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Warm the milk and butter in a small  saucepan until it bubbles around the edges.  When the milk is still very warm but not scalding (use your finger-- if you don't sustain third degree burns, it's ready to use) add it to the flour mixture and mix with the dough hook for about 5 minutes. The dough should stick to the bottom of the bowl but not the sides; it will be soft and tacky. Put the dough i...

This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit; the bars are actually better the next day after making them (although delicious warm out of the oven as well).  A bit of work but worth it... For the crust : 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup sugar 3 cups flour 1/2 t kosher salt Preheat the oven to 375º and line a 12 X 17 rimmed baking sheet (a half-sheet pan) with parchment paper. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes) and add in the flour and salt at low speed just until a soft dough forms. Press into the prepared pan- this part is fussy and it will seem as though there is not enough dough. Bake for 20 minutes until the crust is light golden. For the filling : 12-14 tart, firm apples- about 6 lbs (I used Zestar and Honeycrisp but the instructions say to use Granny Smith), peeled and thinly sliced 6 T butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 T cinnamon a good squeeze of lemon In two large skillets (or you can do this in two batches), melt 3 T of ...

My Dad has become a rather awesome cook in his retirement; this is one of his specialties that is always a hit. It's very easy and you get to use your crock-pot! Yay!! 1 3 lb beef roast (anything is fine-just not too gristly) 1 packet Italian dressing seasoning 3 cups beef broth 2 t vegeta (optional) 1 jar giardiniera* sturdy rolls Put all these things in a crock pot and cook on low all day (8-10 hours); shred meat with a fork and serve on rolls. * My Dad puts the entire jar of giardiniera in (oil and all) and I can tell you that it's phenomenal! I, however, can't bring myself to dump all that oil in there so I either drain it before putting it in the crock pot or I leave it out entirely and we add it individually. This way those of us who don't like it can skip it and those of us who do can load it on like crazy. Sliced pepperocinis are also good on these sandwiches.